An Old Friend, Repeatedly Forsaken
As Hayato inserted Overload Fusion into the Spell & Trap Zone, almost simultaneously, Alister felt a violent tremor from the Duel Arena beneath his feet.
The ground suddenly cracked open, and from Hayato's Graveyard, one Machine-Type monster after another emerged, their bodies covered in dust and debris—Cyber Dragon, Proto-Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Zwei, and so on.
"Alister, watch this! This is the hope that the power of Future Fusion, which you previously blocked, has created for me," Hayato said, looking at the intimidating number of Machine-Type monsters on his Field, a confident smile on his face. "Even if buried in dust time and time again, people must always move towards the future. Even the power within the Graveyard will become the driving force for my progress!"
"The effect of Overload Fusion is to banish the Fusion Material Monsters, as determined by the Machine-Type/DARK Attribute Fusion Monster I intend to Fusion Summon, from my Field and Graveyard, and Fusion Summon that monster!"
As he spoke, Hayato raised his hand and snapped his fingers: Click~
"Boom!"
With the sound of Hayato's snap, a Machine-Type monster self-destructed with a roar. Triggered by this monster's self-destruction, dozens of monsters that appeared before Hayato one after another self-destructed into scattered parts all over the place, and were absorbed by a deep black hole that had appeared in the sky above Hayato's Field.
One by one, monsters were banished from Hayato's Graveyard, and Alister felt the high-energy reaction emanating from the black hole more and more clearly. He remembered quite clearly that there were a full thirty-two monsters sleeping in Hayato's Graveyard, and the number participating in this self-destruction was close to that.
Could this number of Fusion Materials be the Chimeratech Overdragon that Hayato wanted to Summon with Future Fusion before, but which I interrupted?!
From within the black hole, the massive mechanical creation, having been hindered once before its appearance, slowly emerged, putting Alister on high alert.
The imposing presence was secondary; what was truly outrageous was the appearance of Chimeratech Overdragon! Was its design not a bit too exaggerated!?
In terms of volume, Chimeratech Overdragon wasn't excessively large, perhaps only about twice the height of Alister's Machina Fortress on his Field. However, on Chimeratech Overdragon's thick body, the number of connected mechanical dragon heads was outrageously numerous, to the extent that someone with trypophobia would almost faint on the spot—it was like the Gorgon from mythology.
"The power of Chimeratech Overdragon comes from the number of materials used for its Fusion Summon. Because the Fusion Materials I used were all the monsters in my Graveyard, its Original ATK/DEF will become a value of thirty-two multiplied by 800 points."
"However, it's also because of this power that exceeds its load that, upon Chimeratech Overdragon's successful Fusion Summon, all cards on my Field except for itself will be sent to the Graveyard."
As he sent the Set Cards on his Field to the Graveyard, as Hayato finished speaking, Chimeratech Overdragon's data was displayed.
Chimeratech Overdragon [Level 9/DARK Attribute] [Machine-Type/Fusion/Effect] [?/ ? → 25600/25600]
"Attack Power, 25,600?!" Alister's eyes widened, unable to comprehend the number before him. He rubbed his eyes, trying to see if he'd misread a zero.
Compared to the infinite attack power of Obelisk the Tormentor that transcended imagination, while Chimeratech Overdragon's attack power was staggering, it was precisely because its attack power was still within conventional understanding that it was even more awe-inspiring.
"With this level of attack power, a single blow can decide the outcome of the Duel!"
Hayato merely smiled at Alister's evaluation: "Alister, if your Deck symbolizes the memories of your painful past, then my Cyber Dragon symbolizes the future of infinite possibilities."
"Don't blink, Chimeratech Overdragon is the last monster you'll see. Prepare for defeat!"
"Entering my Battle Phase, Chimeratech Overdragon, destroy Machina Fortress!"
"Oni God's Barrage!"
As he spoke, Hayato pointed towards Alister's Machina Fortress on his Field. The Chimeratech Overdragon standing behind him opened its mouths, and dense, rain-like laser beams swept towards the target.
If this attack hit, Alister would take a full 23,100 points of battle damage in one go. Even if this Duel had not turned into a Shadow Game for some unknown reason, this level of impact force would be enough to cause unconsciousness!
The dense beams descended like raindrops, and at this moment, Alister revealed a triumphant smile: "An impressive offense, but Hayato Kobayashi, don't think this level of brilliance can wash away the darkness in my heart."
"I say it again, I will definitely keep winning, stand before that man, and grant him complete defeat! For that, I am willing to sell my soul to a demon!" Alister abruptly flipped over the Set Card from his previous turn, and a beam of light shot out towards Chimeratech Overdragon. "I will counterattack you with this Set Card of mine!"
"Trap Card Absorption Shield!"
The shooting light met the rain of beams, and just as it was about to make contact, it suddenly unfurled, transforming into a transparent film that shielded Alister and his Machina Fortress completely.
The dense rain of beams, filled with destructive energy, fell upon the seemingly fragile film, but it did not break through. Instead, it seemed to provide a large amount of energy to the film, causing its color to thicken considerably.
As the film dissipated, Hayato saw Alister, who wore a proud expression.
"The effect of Absorption Shield is to negate the attack of an attacking monster, and allow me to recover Life Points equal to that monster's ATK." Looking at his rapidly increasing Life Points, Alister wore a triumphant expression. "My path of revenge will not be cut short here."
[Alister: 2400 → 28000 LP]
However, to his surprise, Hayato looked at Alister's Life Points skyrocketing to a full twenty-eight thousand, and let out a contemptuous smile.
"What is it, so you didn't know? Has no one ever told you that cards like Absorption Shield are useless against me?"
As he said this, Hayato spread his arms: "Or do you think all those heads on Chimeratech Overdragon are just for show?"
"The first effect of Chimeratech Overdragon increases its power based on the number of Fusion Materials used, and its second effect increases the number of attacks it can launch against monsters based on the number of Fusion Materials." Hayato said, waving his hand once more to give an order, "In other words, as long as you have a monster on your Field, Chimeratech Overdragon can attack a full thirty-two times!"
"Second attack!"
The dozens of mouths on Chimeratech Overdragon opened once more, and the dense rain of beams descended again. This time, Alister no longer had Absorption Shield to absorb the damage.
Machina Fortress's massive volume, while granting it ample firepower and weight, also presented a larger surface area. The dense rain of beams engulfed it in explosion dust in an instant. Alister, due to the drastic fluctuations in his Life Points, could not contain his pain and cried out.
"Hngh—Aaaargh!!"
[Alister: 28000 → 4900 LP]
The impact of the explosion sent Alister flying out in an instant, nearly knocking him off the Duel Arena. But just as Hayato was about to say something, from the smoke that had engulfed Machina Fortress, an electromagnetic cannon shell suddenly shot out and struck the central point connecting the many heads of Chimeratech Overdragon!
"Boom!"
In just an instant, Chimeratech Overdragon, which had just been launching its attack, had massive energy building up at the connection points of its mechanical heads. This position suddenly took a heavy blow, no different than smashing an ashtray onto someone's flexed bicep. Chimeratech Overdragon was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by this apparent dying counterattack from Machina Fortress.
"You're trying to drag someone into the Graveyard with you for a mutual destruction even after dying?" Hayato quipped. He hadn't expected a response, but to his surprise, Alister's willpower was quite good. He managed to prop himself up and stand again, looking at Hayato. "It's not mutual destruction at all."
"I told you, Hayato Kobayashi, I will definitely achieve victory, even if it means selling my soul to a demon named 'War'!"
Accompanied by the sound of grinding metal and rotating gears, from within the smoke that had engulfed Machina Fortress on Alister's Field, a buzzing chainsaw extended. As it swung, it dispersed the smoke, revealing a brand-new Machine-Type monster!
"The more violence is used, the more the demon named 'War' is nourished and grows. When it was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard by Chimeratech Overdragon, Machina Fortress's effect activated." Alister straightened up and looked at the towering humanoid mecha. "Target one card on the opponent's Field and destroy it."
"Then, it's the effect of my Machina Colonel in the Graveyard. While this card is in the Graveyard, if a face-up Machine-Type, EARTH Attribute monster on my Field, other than Machina Colonel, is destroyed by battle or by an effect, its effect activates."
"Revive from the Graveyard, Machina Colonel!"
Machina Colonel [Level 10/EARTH Attribute] [Machine-Type/Effect] [3000/2500]
Hayato looked confused: "Machina Colonel?! When did…"
Suddenly, Hayato remembered the card Alister had sent to the Graveyard at the start of the Duel to activate Machina Redeployment.
"I see, so it was from then."
"The appearance of this power was sown right at the beginning of the Duel." Seeing that Hayato understood, Alister no longer elaborated. "Chimeratech Overdragon is indeed a very awe-inspiring Duel Monster, but unfortunately, I am the victor of this Duel."
"Your methods are exhausted. 'Hope,' 'future,' and such are nothing in the face of harsh reality."
In Alister's eyes, Hayato's consecutive use of Future Fusion and Overload Fusion was truly stunning, and the appearance of Chimeratech Overdragon had pushed this Duel to its climax. However, before his Machina forces, all hope had ultimately fallen through.
Although it was still Hayato's turn, and he hadn't declared the end of his Battle Phase, there were no cards left on Hayato's Field, leaving no possibility of victory.
Hearing Alister's words, Hayato glanced at his Hand, then smiled: "What nonsense are you talking about, Alister? Don't I still have a monster on my Field?"
"Although I thought it was a wasted slot when I drew this card, it seems the Goddess of Victory favors me, Hayato Kobayashi!"
Saying this, Hayato played the card in his Hand: "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Cyberload Fusion!"
"This card is the last miracle-creating card I put into my Deck. It can select Fusion Materials containing Cyber Dragon, as determined by the Fusion Monster, from my Field and banished monsters, return them to the Deck, and Fusion Summon one Fusion Monster!"
"Returning three banished Cyber Dragons to my Deck, now, bring me the hope of victory!"
"My old friend, Cyber End Dragon!"
The bodies of the Cyber Dragons previously detonated by Overload Fusion were guided back onto the Field by Hayato's activation of Cyberload Fusion. As a slightly mournful piano melody played from Hayato's Duel Disk, the ultimate secret technique of Cyber Style—Cyber End Dragon—made its grand debut!
It wasn't that Hayato didn't want to Summon another Chimeratech Overdragon with an attack power of 25,600 using Cyberload Fusion; it was simply that he only had one Chimeratech Overdragon and no more. But Cyber End Dragon was sufficient.
Cyber End Dragon [Level 10/LIGHT Attribute] [Machine-Type/Fusion/Effect] [4000/2800]
As soon as it appeared, the three heads of Cyber End Dragon simultaneously raised, letting out a roar towards the sky. Although merely a bio-mechanical creation, Cyber End Dragon seemed to possess life at this moment.
"Cyber End Dragon, huh? A powerful monster with piercing capability." Alister also recognized Cyber End Dragon. "However, a Cyber End Dragon not Summoned by that card Power Bond doesn't have quite enough deterrence. My Machina Colonel's ATK is 3000, so you'll only deal 1000 damage to me, which is hardly significant."
Thanks to that previous Absorption Shield, Alister's Life Points still amounted to a full 4900 after being attacked by Chimeratech Overdragon. 1000 points of damage was less than a quarter of his current Life Points, making it completely acceptable.
"To think that Cyber End Dragon would have a day where it's looked down upon is quite rare," Hayato shook his head helplessly, shaking the three cards in his Hand. "But hey Alister, my old friend has finally appeared after enduring so much torment, so of course I want to boost his combat power as much as possible."
"First card, Quick-Play Spell Card Enemy Controller. The effect of this card allows me to Tribute one monster on my Field to gain control of one face-up monster on the opponent's Field until the end of the turn, or to directly change the Battle Position of one face-up monster on the opponent's Field."
"I activate its second effect: change your Machina Colonel on the Field to Defense Position!" Hayato looked at a game controller that appeared on his Field, and a sequence of operation commands etched into his DNA was immediately declared: "Input command: Left, Right, Careful God Dragon!"
Enemy Controller then took effect. A cable made of electric current connected from the controller to Machina Colonel, and following Hayato's declared command, Machina Colonel was changed to Defense Position.
Machina Colonel [ATK 3000 → DEF 2500]
But that wasn't all. Hayato immediately played a second card: "Then, I activate this card, the Quick-Play Spell Card Strike from the Blind Spot!"
"Activate by targeting one face-up Defense Position monster on the opponent's Field and one Attack Position monster on my Field, to increase my monster's ATK until the end of the turn by the targeted monster's DEF!"
After the second card was played, Hayato's Cyber End Dragon roared at the forced-to-crouch Machina Colonel. Green data streams floated out from Machina Colonel and were absorbed into Cyber End Dragon's body, increasing its ATK!
Cyber End Dragon [ATK 4000 → 6500]
After playing two consecutive cards, Hayato held the last card in his Hand, glanced at the ready Cyber End Dragon, and said: "Take it, Cyber End Dragon, this is my final support."
"Enter my Battle Phase, go Cyber End Dragon, attack Machina Colonel!"
"Burst Stream of Destruction!"
"Roar!"
Looking at the formidable Cyber End Dragon on Hayato's Field, Alister gritted his teeth. "Even with an ATK of 6500, I can withstand it!"
As Hayato's command was given, the three mechanical heads of Cyber End Dragon simultaneously opened, letting out a roar. Then, three laser beams intertwined and jointly attacked Alister's Machina Colonel on his Field!
This time, Cyber End Dragon decisively learned from Chimeratech Overdragon's experience. The laser attack instantly pierced through Machina Colonel, not giving it a chance to kick up dust and trigger the 'no damage if there's smoke' rule.
The laser beams that pierced through Machina Colonel were only slightly weakened and continued towards Alister with undiminished momentum. In the blink of an eye, they struck him, causing his Life Points to plummet like a diver once again!
"Cough—!"
[Alister: 4900 → 900 LP]
This attack was much weaker than the impact delivered by Chimeratech Overdragon, but it was still a full 4000 points of damage. Sweat dripped from Alister's forehead from suffering significant damage for the second time, and his breathing was heavy.
In the Machina Deck he used, while Machina Colonel wasn't the strongest monster—stronger ones still existed—Alister had been quite confident that this alone would be enough to defeat Hayato, especially considering that his attack when Machina Fortress was sent to the Graveyard destroyed Hayato's impressive Chimeratech Overdragon.
However, Hayato Kobayashi had managed to create miracles time and time again.
His Life Points had been reduced to a mere 900 points by this attack, like a candle flickering in the wind. What's worse, Cyber End Dragon, with its 4000 ATK, still stood tall on Hayato's Field.
It seemed Hayato's attacks had ended here. Regardless of whether the card in Hayato's Hand was De-Fusion or something else, he likely wouldn't Summon any stronger monsters. He had barely survived this turn. But what would he do next turn?
Alister couldn't help but look at his Deck.
The core of his Deck was Machina, the symbol of mechanized warfare, and in Alister's perception, the "demon" that had destroyed his life and caused infinite suffering.
To gain the power of revenge, Alister needed powerful Duel Monsters, and the Machina Deck was the strongest card he could obtain. Time and time again, Alister endured his disgust and Dueled using the Machina Deck, but in Alister's heart, he never considered Machina his Deck.
With only 900 Life Points remaining, what kind of card would he need to draw to defeat the 4000 ATK Cyber End Dragon on Hayato's Field?
Moreover, would the Deck he loathed and resisted respond to him?
Even after discarding his dignity and using this sinful Deck, was he to fail again? If so, when would he be able to stand before Seto Kaiba and exact his revenge?
Alister's expression darkened, and he slowly lowered his head.
As if sensing Alister's negative emotions, Hayato glanced at the card in his Hand, not rushing to activate it, but instead saying: "Hmph, Alister, you already think you've lost the Duel, don't you?"
"While your focus solely on hatred is unlikable, if you fall into despair so easily, then your hatred is only of this degree."
"What did you say!"
Hearing this, Alister sharply raised his head and glared at Hayato.
His lifelong goal was revenge. He could accept any humiliation or scorn, but he absolutely could not accept someone looking down on his hatred.
"I said it, your hatred is merely of that degree."
Hayato sneered, pointing to his Duel Disk. "If it can't even support your desire to win, then your hatred is simply more fragile than a glass on a table placed before a cat."
"A true Duelist is someone who, no matter what situation they face, is filled with the desire to win and dares to create miracles."
As he spoke, Hayato inserted the card in his Hand into his Duel Disk. "Didn't you say you were willing to sell your soul to a demon? If you've already sold your soul, wouldn't it be a waste not to get a good price?"
Hearing Hayato's words, Alister was also slightly taken aback. After a moment of silence, he looked up again, but this time, anticipation appeared on his face: "Hmph, being lectured by an opponent is quite outrageous. However, what you said does hold a certain truth."
"The Machina Deck is the embodiment of the demon I loathe. Thinking of it that way, selling my soul and not even achieving victory is indeed too much of a loss." Alister said, starting to laugh. "I must thoroughly exploit these demons called 'War'!"
"Then, next turn, I will defeat you controlling these demons, Hayato Kobayashi!"
Hayato nodded in satisfaction as he watched Alister regain his fighting spirit: "Yes, compared to your previous expression, this one is certainly more interesting."
"However, I regret to inform you of one thing," Hayato glanced at the card he had inserted into his Duel Disk, a smile appearing on his face, "you don't have a next turn."
"For victory, I am willing to give up my old friend Cyber End Dragon!"
Amidst the stunned expressions of Cyber End Dragon and Alister, on Hayato's Back Row, Spiritual Ectoplasm activated.
"I shouldn't have had expectations for your duels!"
Under Alister's furious gaze, Cyber End Dragon turned into light.
(end of chapter)
Fake Soul: (Gaia The Fierce Knight), (Rainbow Kuriboh)
True Soul: (Soul Absorption)
Hayato completely exploited (Cyber End Dragon)'s value, first maximizing its Attack and using its piercing effect to reduce Alister's Life Points to only 900. These last 900 Life Points were then completely wiped out by the 2000 Effect Damage caused by (Cyber End Dragon)'s self-destruction.
[Alister: 900 LP → 0]
From being full of confidence to losing it, then finding encouragement amidst pessimism to rally, only to be defeated while full of anticipation for his next Turn — Alister's emotions had been a roller coaster. Even after the Duel ended and his and Hayato's points were tallied, he couldn't snap out of it, still immersed in the concluded Duel.
After a long while, he let out a frustrated sigh, glaring at Hayato with considerable resentment, then left the Duel Stage without a word.
Was he expected to stay and make threats? Alister understood clearly: this was just an ordinary Duel.
Although at the beginning, when he "fortunately" found himself up against Hayato, Alister had indeed intended to engage in a Shadow Game to the death and eliminate Hayato early. Now, however, he felt somewhat fortunate that the Barrier had been dispelled for unknown reasons.
Otherwise, his Soul, as the loser, would now be lost.
Furthermore, after the duration of the Duel, although most of his thinking was focused on the Duel itself, Alister had become somewhat suspicious about the destruction of (The Seal of Orichalcos).
Dartz, who had bestowed upon him (The Seal of Orichalcos), had said that only the three of them—Rex, Alister, and Raphael—who possessed "Orichalcos fragments" (the jade stones they wore around their necks), and Dartz himself, had the power to undo the Barrier.
Just who was that Hayato?
"Forget it, even if I found the answer to that, it has nothing to do with my revenge." As the loser, Alister walked off the Duel Stage, glanced back at Hayato, and thought to himself:
"I'll remember this Duel, Hayato. One day, I'll get my revenge!"
As he thought this, Alister recalled Hayato's words about "Dueling bringing smiles." Considering the Cards Hayato had used in this Duel, Alister's mouth twitched slightly as he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Thinking about it carefully, Hayato's Dueling seemed to only bring smiles to himself. Whether it was Sheppard or Hayato playing with (Cyber Dragon), their hearts were incredibly dirty!
He suddenly didn't feel like seeking revenge anymore; Dueling against Cyber Style users offered no Game experience at all.
As for Hayato, he was quite interested in why Alister, Rex, and Raphael were participating in the KC Cup. Raphael had previously said they were here by coincidence, and Alister claimed he wanted to earn money from Kaiba, but these reasons weren't enough to convince Hayato.
However, more than any of that, what Hayato was most concerned about right now was the System Panel that popped up after his Duel with Alister.
On the System's [Quest] Panel, it had been some time since a new Main Quest had appeared, ever since Hayato won the Battle City Championship and became the undisputed Duel King. Even participating in the KC Cup only brought up a Side Quest titled [World's Strongest Martial Arts Tournament], with the objective "Rewards settled based on KC Cup ranking."
But after defeating Alister, the long-empty Main Quest section was finally filled with a new entry—
[Quest Name: Hayato is My Emperor, That Will Never Change!]
[Quest Description: Having become the King of Duel Monsters, you discover, while concealing your identity, that someone is attempting to threaten you. As the absolute Emperor, thwart their schemes, unless you desire eternal life.]
[Quest Content:
Defeat the person behind the scenes 0/1
Defeat the person at the forefront 0/1
Defeat the Three Swordsmen 1/3
Opposing Faction's Defeat Progress: 0.1%]
[Additional Notes: This Quest can be settled at any time, with Rewards calculated based on completion progress.]
[Hint Content: Durant.jpg]
[Quest Reward Preview: 10000 DP, UR Redemption Coupon x5, Specified Attribute Structure Deck]
Looking at the long list of Quest contents and the generous Rewards, Hayato couldn't help but smack his lips.
This System was truly "once in a blue moon, but when it opens, it's worth six months' business." After not releasing a new Quest for so long, it suddenly dropped such a massive one, a truly unexpected surprise.
Although the Quest description always made Hayato hallucinate that he was some moldy pink octopus, and it reeked of riddles, Hayato could still understand that the Quest's objective was practically screaming, "Go, destroy Doma for me!"
While he didn't understand what "the person at the forefront" and "the person behind the scenes" meant, at least one of them had to be that old immortal Dartz. Rather than idly speculating, Hayato was now eager to confront him.
Not to mention, even ignoring the "Specified Attribute Structure Deck" and a whopping 10,000 DP Points, there were five "UR Redemption Coupons"! Hayato had been eyeing some of the excessively expensive UR Cards in the Shop for a long time.
However, the one thing Hayato couldn't figure out was why the System had unusually inserted [Hint Content] into the Quest, especially something as strange as [Durant.jpg].
Could the System be hinting that, besides Dueling, he could actually win against the Target through physical combat?
Carrying this doubt, Hayato reassembled his Deck and looked at his next opponent walking onto the Duel Stage.
Compared to Alister, this opponent's fighting spirit was noticeably weaker. Despite being a black man, he uncharacteristically hung his head timidly instead of arrogantly shouting. His haircut was a common buzz cut, and he clearly looked like he couldn't Duel.
Inserting his Deck into the Duel Disk, Hayato casually brushed his hair back and arrogantly declared, "Hmph hmph, instead of running away, you're approaching me, Dan Kuroto? Muda, muda, muda! (Cyber Dragon) is the strongest Monster! Defeating you will be as easy as plucking a withered petal from a roadside flowerbed with my finger!"
"Eek!"
Startled by Hayato's Aura, the buzz-cut black man let out a faint cry and suddenly raised his hands in a French military salute. However, he quickly remembered that Hayato wasn't a gun-wielding police officer who would make him unable to breathe, so he timidly lowered his hands and shakily raised his Duel Disk, inserting his Deck.
Lack of fighting spirit rendered even powerful Dueling skills useless, let alone this black man, whose abilities weren't impressive to begin with.
"One combo!"
"Two combos!"
"Three combos!"
"Four combos!"
"Five combos!"
"Dare you defy me, who wields (Chimeratech Overdragon)?!"
Before long, facing the invincible (Cyber Dragon), the buzz-cut black man failed to mount a sufficiently strong defense. Hayato's Fatal Five-Strike cleared his Life Points in one go, and he ran off, covering his face and crying like a crybaby.
With the Points Settlement, Hayato's ranking surged back to his previous tenth place.
Looking at the familiar names ahead of him in the Points Leaderboard, Hayato flashed an excited smile. "Yosh! Let's just keep pushing forward! With my invincible (Cyber Dragon)!"
Following the rampaging (Kaiju) on Arena 4 during the first day of qualifiers, rumors of "(Cyber Dragon) appearing on Arena 44" also emerged on the second day of the KC Cup qualifiers. Thanks to the circulating spectators, information about Duelist No. 114514, "Dan Kuroto," also spread.
Although the KC Cup used a rule where qualifiers participated and those with high Points could advance, the truly famous Duelists actually held back during their Duels, not pushing for the top ranks. In such a situation, they were largely uninterested in their specific ranking on the leaderboard; making it into the Top 64 was enough.
What they were doing now was controlling their Points, voluntarily surrendering to leave their current Arena and scout for information on other Duelists in different Arenas. Under these circumstances, many powerful Duelists lingered around the 40th to 50th positions.
These Professional Duelists weren't as excessively cautious as Adrian Gecko, who meticulously noted down information on all participants. They paid little attention to the unheard-of name "Dan Kuroto."
After all, the Points system primarily tested a Duelist's speed and consistency in defeating opponents. Even Legendary Duelists as strong as Joey Wheeler and Yugi were only ranked in the teens. Only Kaiba, who used an an extremely Aggressive Play (Blue-Eyes) Deck, could consistently hold First Place.
They believed that "Dan Kuroto" merely had a knack for clearing out weaker opponents, allowing him to advance rapidly. When it came to the actual matches that tested offensive capabilities, this kid wouldn't get far.
It was precisely because of this mindset among the Professional Duelists that not many bothered to specifically probe Hayato's information. The result was that Hayato was still full of enthusiasm in the morning, but by the afternoon, he was already feeling a bit tired.
Over the course of the day, apart from Kaiba (who was controversially paired against him by a shady arrangement), the green Adrian Gecko, and the unexpected match against Alister, Hayato hadn't encountered any Duelists with sufficient skill. It was all Fodder Monsters; sometimes, with a good Hand starting with (Power Bond) + three (Cyber Dragon)s, many opponents couldn't even survive One Turn.
No matter how interesting Duel Monsters with Virtual Projection might be, Duels were only truly fun when there was back-and-forth action. Dominating weak opponents too much only became tiresome.
After all, not everyone could find joy in Dueling against Duel Bots like President Kaiba.
——————Kaiba: Beating weaklings is fun!——————
That evening, in his hotel room, Hayato emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel draped over his head after a shower.
Swatting away the mischievous (Ojama Yellow) in the room, Hayato pulled out a chair and sat down, solemnly taking his Card box from his belt and carefully retrieving the Cards one by one.
On normal days, Hayato's Deck was actually always stored in the System's Inventory. Whenever he needed it, he would use the Card box on his waist as a disguise to retrieve it.
The advantages of this were twofold: first, it prevented his Deck from being lost or stolen by some mischievous scoundrel (Mokuba: Achoo!); second, he could adjust his Deck directly within the System at any time, without needing to physically add or remove Cards one by one.
However, the Card box used as a disguise wasn't empty. It also contained many Cards, and in a sense, the Cards in this box were far more valuable than the Deck Hayato actually used———
(Grandsoil the Elemental Lord), (Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca), (Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder), (Raviel, Lord of Phantasms), and the (Egyptian God Cards): (Slifer the Sky Dragon), (Obelisk the Tormentor), and (The Winged Dragon of Ra).
Rather than saying they were "most valuable," it was more accurate to say they were the Cards with the "strongest power." Although Hayato even included (Grandsoil the Elemental Lord) just to complete the "God" theme, it was no exaggeration to say these Cards represented the strongest power Hayato possessed.
Hayato hadn't forgotten that before his Duel with Alister began, that idiot had intended to use the power of (The Seal of Orichalcos) to initiate a Shadow Game and take his life, but the Barrier had unexpectedly dissipated, much to both their surprise.
Alister didn't understand what had happened, but Hayato clearly heard a distinct cracking sound from his Card box when the power that dispelled (The Seal of Orichalcos) appeared.
At the same time, Hayato was also certain that the power did not come from the Duel Monsters he was familiar with.
(Elemental Lord of Earth) truly was just there to make up the numbers.
(Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca) had some gravitas, but Hayato had always fed it just enough Magical Energy from the (Millennium Ring) to keep it from being full, maintaining its hunger. With its power completely unrestored, it couldn't possibly break through (The Seal of Orichalcos).
Hayato was quite confident in the (Egyptian God Cards) and willing to provide them support, but to say they could break through (The Seal of Orichalcos) was a bit of a stretch. If they truly could, they wouldn't have been sacrificed by Dartz as Tributes to the God of Orichalcos in the original Timeline.
As for (Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder) and (Raviel, Lord of Phantasms)? Although there was a strange Setting that "three Sacred Beasts appearing together could destroy Duel Monsters," their gravitas couldn't compare to the (Egyptian God Cards) at all. And to say they would rescue Hayato?
It would be good enough if they didn't stab him in the back.
Card after Card was taken out by Hayato and placed aside. The only Card remaining in the box was the one at the very bottom.
Hayato recalled that the Card seemed to be one given to him by that person named Camula, after she lost to Sheppard and before leaving Pegasus's castle during the Duelist Kingdom tournament.
It seemed to be a Card, sharing the same name as that Camula: (Lemuria, the Forgotten City).
Although Hayato's Decks were quite versatile, none of them had a use for this Card. And for some reason, the System couldn't Recycle it either, so Hayato simply kept it in his Hand. Who knows, maybe one day Hayato would start playing a Fish-Type Deck?
Although, Fish-Type Decks usually wouldn't carry this Card; only Mermail Decks might use it to support Xyz or Synchro Summons.
Reaching into the Card box, Hayato pulled out (Lemuria, the Forgotten City), slowly turned it face-up, and stared, dumbfounded.
Just then, (Ojama Yellow), leading a group of brothers, foolishly tried to bully (Rainbow Kuriboh), but because all of their Attack Points were 0, (Rainbow Kuriboh) unleashed a "ball" rampage, cutting right through them. They came crying loudly to Hayato to complain.
Climbing onto Hayato's shoulder, (Ojama Yellow) loudly grumbled, "Big Bro, look how mean that (Rainbow Jerk) is, bullying us again! Big Bro, you have to help us!"
But (Ojama Yellow), having climbed onto Hayato's shoulder, also froze.
He saw that the Card Art of (Lemuria, the Forgotten City) held in Hayato's hand didn't look like an illustration printed on a Card at all, but rather a real landscape. The Temple, half-submerged in the seawater, was dynamically changing before their eyes, gradually collapsing!
"Thump."
Unable to keep his footing, (Ojama Yellow) fell from Hayato's shoulder onto the table, covering his bottom with both hands. He frantically told Hayato, "It, it has nothing to do with me, Big Bro! The Card was already like this when I saw it!"
Watching (Lemuria, the Forgotten City) completely collapse and sink into the seawater, Hayato silently turned to look at the nervous (Ojama Yellow) and sighed. "I know, it really has nothing to do with you. Alright, go on now."
As he spoke, Hayato poked (Ojama Yellow) with his finger, then frowned at the (Lemuria, the Forgotten City) Card in his hand, now devoid of the Temple.
Being treated so calmly by Hayato for once, (Ojama Yellow) was quite surprised.
"Huh? Big Bro isn't scolding me this time?" (Ojama Yellow) spread his index finger and thumb, stroking his chin. From nowhere, he produced a deerstalker hat and a yellow plaid cloak, putting them on, and a pipe appeared in his hand. Striking the pose of a famous detective, (Ojama Yellow) theatrically declared, "Shinjitsu wa itsumo hitotsu! (There is only one truth!)"
"I see, I see! No wonder Big Bro hasn't been using that (Rainbow Jerk) much lately. Men always get tired of old things, don't they? Big Bro must be tired of Drawing that guy in Duels."
"And considering how nice Big Bro's tone was today..." (Ojama Yellow) wore an expression like he had deduced something, grinning triumphantly, his eyes squinting into slits. "Wahahahahaha! Big Bro finally understands that I'm his eternal Soul, ne~"
Firmly believing in his own deduction, (Ojama Yellow) nodded confidently and climbed onto Hayato's head again. He suddenly mocked the (Rainbow Kuriboh), who was chasing other (Ojama) family members in another corner of the room: "Kings have kingly talents, and chefs have chef talents, but (Rainbow Jerk), your ability is the most useless!"
"A mere ability to block an Attack is garbage! Indeed, only this great me is Big Bro's sole Ace Card, hahahaha!"
Overcome with pride, (Ojama Yellow), standing on Hayato's head, laughed heartily with hands on hips, completely ignoring the pity and sympathy in (Rainbow Kuriboh)'s gaze, which looked at him like an idiot. He also failed to notice that Hayato had already put down the (Lemuria, the Forgotten City) Card and was clenching his fists with a grim expression.
"Yaro..."
Hearing Hayato's displeased voice from below him, (Ojama Yellow)'s body stiffened. Just as he was about to jump off Hayato's head to escape, his body was caught and clenched in Hayato's hand.
Held up before Hayato's face, (Ojama Yellow) saw Hayato's displeased expression and instinctively swallowed.
"B-Big Bro?"
"The more I spend time with you guys, the more I understand one thing, (Ojama Yellow)," Hayato said, releasing his hand and tossing (Ojama Yellow) into the air. "You guys can never be treated nicely. If I don't use a little violence, I'm doing myself a disservice!"
"You've been annoyingly noisy from the very beginning, I'm going to beat you until you cry!"
"Take this, Hokuto Hundred Crack Fist! Ora!"
————(Ojama Yellow), bruised and swollen, was applying medicine————
The three days of qualifiers passed in a flash. Hayato successfully advanced, coming in second, just behind Kaiba. Yugi was third, right after him. Joey, due to his overly unstable luck and the Setting of only playing seriously when at low Life Points, was barely clinging to tenth place, almost being surpassed by Mai Valentine in eleventh.
Mai Valentine, displeased by this, twisted Joey's soft flesh at his waist, making him yelp in pain. As for whether the thick-skinned Joey was truly in pain or just faking it to appease Mai Valentine, only Joey himself would know.
On the third day of qualifiers, Hayato successfully encountered Yugi. Upon learning that "Dan Kuroto" was actually Hayato, Yugi, who had been unaware, was quite startled and surprised.
In the subsequent Duel, it wasn't Yami Yugi—Yami Yugi—who took part, but Yugi Muto. After an intense exchange, Hayato used (Mystic Wok) to "cook and eat" (Chimeratech Overdragon), successfully countering Yugi's Mutual Destruction attempt of using (Ring of Destruction) to detonate (Dark Magician), and securing victory.
Hayato was quite satisfied with this, because in a strict sense, this Duel was the first time Hayato had truly defeated Yugi—not Yami Yugi, but Yugi Muto. It fulfilled a long-held regret of his: the opponent in Hayato's very first Duel after arriving in the Yu-Gi-Oh World wasn't Yami Yugi, but Yugi Muto. This Duel brought his revenge full circle.
Joey had also run into Hayato, but while his Willpower was strong, it only manifested as resilience in desperate situations. He had little Resistance to the mental interference capabilities of the (Millennium Rod). It wasn't until after the Duel, when Hayato actively dispelled the Magical Energy, that Joey realized "Dan Kuroto" was Hayato.
Aside from Joey and Mai Valentine, none of the others who came along to join the KC Cup fun managed to qualify. This included Tristan and Téa, who weren't particularly skilled at Duel Monsters, as well as Duke Devlin and Grandpa Muto, who possessed some ability.
Tristan and Téa were newcomers themselves. While many ordinary people like them came just for the spectacle, there were also many Duelists eyeing fame and fortune. Téa's luck was decent; her name lingered around the 1000th mark, so she didn't qualify. But Tristan was quite unlucky. After winning only two Matches, he repeatedly encountered Professional Duelists and was quickly eliminated.
Duke Devlin, after all, truly loved (Dice Roulette) the most. Furthermore, thanks to Hayato and Yugi's efforts, he had already signed a promotion cooperation contract with Pegasus, and (Dice Roulette) would soon receive extensive promotion from Industrial Illusions. In exchange, these matters consumed a lot of his energy, preventing him from Dueling with full effort, so his final ranking stayed around the 500th mark.
Grandpa Muto liked Duel Monsters and had skill. But, well, he was old and his stamina wasn't what it used to be. His ranking was four hundred, which was still quite good.
Mokuba's ranking was quite surprising; he actually possessed considerable talent in Duel Monsters. His ranking was exactly one hundredth, which was very strong for a child new to Duel Monsters, making Téa and Tristan feel a bit ashamed.
Furthermore, one thing Hayato hadn't expected was that Marik, whose strength was actually quite good, hadn't qualified, his ranking stopping at sixty-fifth.
"After my sister found out I came along and even participated, she specifically called to remind me to take care of myself." Sitting next to Hayato, Marik looked helpless. "I know it's out of concern, but it's really annoying, Brother-in-law."
"Cut it out with that nickname, nothing's set in stone yet," Hayato said, patting Marik's shoulder. "So, you were intentionally controlling your Points from the start?"
"Yeah. In your words, Brother-in-law, this is the job of a 'qualifying gatekeeper,' right? If you want to qualify, you have to get past me. It feels incredibly satisfying."
As he spoke, Marik revealed a sly smile. It was at this moment, with Marik in his anime-themed t-shirt, that one could still discern he was once the leader of the criminal organization Rare Hunters.
Hayato wasn't the one who led him astray. According to Ishizu, Marik had actually loved fashionable things since he was a child. The reason he triggered the Tomb Keepers' Rule and was punished was because he wanted to buy a motorcycle and become a biker gang member.
Ever since the Dark Personality, Dark Marik, was born due to his punishment, and the incident of publicly murdering his father, Marik had been blinded by hatred for quite some time, suppressing his true nature for many years. Now, the truth was revealed, and the Dark Personality issue was resolved, allowing Marik to finally be himself again.
Although the Rare Hunters had been disbanded by Marik, their assets were quite difficult to deal with, as a large portion of their wealth came from murder and robbery. He couldn't exactly dig up graves to return the money, could he? Therefore, after donating a significant portion of the assets, Marik, with Hayato's tacit approval, kept the remaining wealth as pocket money.
With plenty of money, Marik, who no longer needed to meticulously budget for the organization's growth, spent like water. After buying several long-desired motorcycles in one go, he also became obsessed with anime culture through the practice of "itasha" (decorated cars).
"Just talk, don't keep grinning foolishly," Hayato mumbled, turning his head back to look at the massive Venue before them.
Their current location was Kaiba Corporation's first Kaiba Land in America, an enormous Kaiba Land that served as a "flagship store." More specifically, it was the Kaiba Dome within Kaiba Land, specially designed to host public Duel Monsters events.
—It was obvious who named it, and with that, the reason why the building was shaped like a (Blue-Eyes White Dragon) head roaring up at the sky became perfectly clear.
The Kaiba Dome could hold a whopping ten thousand spectators. The wealthy Kaiba firmly refused to sell high-priced tickets, opting instead to put all seat tickets into a prize pool, with the seat location determined entirely by luck.
In Kaiba's words—"A Duelist fully dedicated to Duel Monsters can even create their own Draws. Anyone who can't even grasp that concept and still wants to watch the Match deserves to Draw a seat in the very last row."
Although Kaiba looked quite handsome when he said this, with his stern face, arrogant
Chapter 383: The 'Hard Man's' Duel
B. Skull Dragon [ATK3200]
Just as B. Skull Dragon, Fusion Summoned using Yugi's (Summoned Skull) and Joey's (Red-Eyes Black Dragon) as materials, appeared, it majestically flicked its long tail, showcasing its magnificent physique, facing off against Rex's (Super Conductor Tyranno) on the field.
With a disdainful glance at Rex, who looked as if he were facing a formidable foe, B. Skull Dragon snorted, a plume of black flame escaping its nostrils, completely disregarding (Super Conductor Tyranno), despite its higher Attack.
It was merely a 100-point Attack advantage; compared to super-powerful Duel Monsters like (Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon) and (Obelisk the Tormentor) that B. Skull Dragon had encountered in Battle City, (Super Conductor Tyranno) was truly nothing.
However, unlike the disdainful expression on B. Skull Dragon's face, Joey's Dueling attitude was quite serious.
"It's still 100 ATK points short. In that case, I'll use this card to support it," Joey said, inserting a card into his Duel Disk's Spell & Trap Zone. "Equip Spell Card, (Dark Dragon's Claw)! As an Equip Spell Card exclusively for DARK Attribute Dragon-Type Monsters, this card can increase the ATK of the equipped target, B. Skull Dragon, by 600 points!"
B. Skull Dragon [ATK3200 → 3800]
"Alright, with this, B. Skull Dragon's ATK now surpasses (Super Conductor Tyranno)'s!" Joey exclaimed excitedly. "Here I come, Rex! I'm entering my Battle Phase!"
"B. Skull Dragon, attack (Super Conductor Tyranno)! Black Lightning Flame Bullet!"
At Joey's command, B. Skull Dragon completely ignored the sharp steel claws equipped to its forearms. Instead, it opened its mouth and inhaled sharply, the lightning radiating from its body and the black flame mixed with its breath both drawn into its maw.
Then, it exhaled.
A dragon's breath orb, roughly half the size of (Super Conductor Tyranno)'s body, was unleashed. Observing the crackling lightning and the barely contained black flame emanating from the sphere, Rex could sense the destructive power it held, even before it struck.
"Tch, you've got some tricks, Joey! Then I'll Activate my Set Card, (Sakuretsu Armor)—"
"—ROAR!!!"
Rex's hand had just reached for his Duel Disk, intending to press the activation button in the Spell & Trap Zone to Activate the (Sakuretsu Armor) he had Set last turn, seizing the opportunity to take down Joey's B. Skull Dragon. But before he could press the button, he heard a furious roar erupt from B. Skull Dragon, which had just attacked.
His finger did indeed press the activation button, but the (Sakuretsu Armor) he had anticipated did not Activate. No matter how many times Rex tried to press it, he couldn't Activate (Sakuretsu Armor), only able to watch as (Super Conductor Tyranno) was struck by the lightning-flame bullet, destroyed, and sent to the Graveyard.
Rex: [4000 → 3500 LP]
"What's going on? Is my Duel Disk broken?"
As Rex wondered, Joey chuckled triumphantly, explaining, "Heh heh, this is a Hard Man's Duel! There's no room for Spell/Trap Cards to interfere!"
"When B. Skull Dragon battles, until the end of the Damage Calculation Step, your opponent cannot Activate Spell Cards, Trap Cards, or Monster Effects."
"It's the same whether B. Skull Dragon attacks, or if your monster attacks my B. Skull Dragon."
Hearing B. Skull Dragon's Effect, Rex frowned. This meant his (Sakuretsu Armor) would be completely unusable!
Fortunately, his other Set Card could still be used. "What a troublesome Effect! In that case, I Activate this card, (Time Machine)!"
"Activate its effect when a monster on your or your opponent's field is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Special Summon that destroyed monster to its controller's field in the same battle position it was in when it was destroyed."
A massive machine rose from underground. Its hatch, halfway open, was violently torn apart by an impatient (Super Conductor Tyranno).
(Super Conductor Tyranno), having visited the Graveyard, was revived on Rex's field. Having died once, it bared its fangs and glared furiously at B. Skull Dragon, which had just defeated it.
(Super Conductor Tyranno) [ATK3300]
Seeing this, Joey scratched the back of his head helplessly. "Seriously, what a nuisance. It was already taken down once, and now it's back from the Graveyard?"
"Heh heh, don't underestimate Dinosaurs, Joey," Rex said. Even though he was currently at a disadvantage, it didn't stop him from being proud of his monster. "Dinosaurs have been the rulers of Earth since ancient times. They're not that easy for you to take down."
"You call them rulers, but weren't they wiped out by a meteorite? Even I know that much," Joey retorted, glancing at his hand. "My Battle Phase ends now. Then, B. Skull Dragon has another effect it can Activate."
"At the end of the Battle Phase in which the Fusion Summoned B. Skull Dragon battled, I can target one 'Red-Eyes' Normal Monster in my Graveyard to Activate this effect."
At Joey's declaration, B. Skull Dragon on his field clenched its massive fist, igniting with black flame, and slammed it heavily into the ground. A deep crater was gouged into the earth by B. Skull Dragon's strike, and jet-black flames surged from underground like a volcanic eruption, bypassing (Super Conductor Tyranno) and directly engulfing Rex!
"Agh!"
Caught off guard by the flames, though it was just pure heat and not searing pain, the surging black flame still startled Rex, and his Life Points were deducted accordingly.
Rex: [3500 → 1100 LP]
"The monster I targeted is (Red-Eyes Black Dragon), which was just sent to the Graveyard by (Polymerization). I convert (Red-Eyes Black Dragon)'s original ATK into effect damage dealt to you, then return (Red-Eyes Black Dragon) to my Deck."
Finally calming down, Rex heard Joey's triumphant, almost irritating voice.
Returning (Red-Eyes Black Dragon) from the Graveyard to his Deck and shuffling, Joey was unusually pleased, not being suppressed himself but instead suppressing others. He even softly hummed a tune: "Hmm-hmm. I Set one card from my hand, and End my Turn."
"Heh heh heh, seen what I can do now, Rex? 'Red-Eyes' is super strong in my hand! Your Life Points are already like a flickering candle in the wind!"
Joey: [4000 LP, Hand 2]
B. Skull Dragon (Dark Dragon's Claw) [ATK3800]
Set Card
'The card I Set is (Dark Bribe). As long as I have this card, no matter if Rex has Spell/Trap Cards like (Mystical Space Typhoon) or (Lightning Vortex) to destroy my cards, he won't be able to get rid of my B. Skull Dragon!'
'Next turn, if I just Activate (Red-Eyes Insight) from my hand and send (Red-Eyes Black Dragon) from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Activate B. Skull Dragon's effect again. Then, no matter if Rex Summons a monster in Attack Position or Defense Position, he'll have to take another 2400 points of damage!'
'No matter how I look at it, it's my victory! Wahahahahaha! I'm such a genius!'
In his mind, Joey thought arrogantly, almost laughing aloud, his face showing an expression of absolute confidence.
In the Audience Seating, Mai Valentine, who wasn't scheduled to duel, watched Joey's expression and sighed, covering her forehead helplessly. "That Joey, he's getting carried away again. Just a slight advantage and he's already acting all smug. When will that idiot ever mature?"
Although she didn't know what Joey's Set Card was, Mai Valentine, relying on her familiarity with him, could assert that he must have Set some counterattack card and was probably reveling in his own cleverness right now.
"If Joey wasn't getting carried away, he wouldn't be Joey, would he?" Tristan chimed in. "After all, his character is that of a hothead who wears his heart on his sleeve. If he looked like 'everything is going according to my plan,' then he wouldn't be Joey."
"Even though he's grown into a formidable Duelist, Joey is as reckless as ever," Chumley, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement. "Being overconfident is one thing, someone once said, 'How can one be king without overconfidence?' But he just uttered that forbidden phrase..."
It was well known that the phrase 'flickering candle in the wind' was a jinx. To dare utter such a phrase with such a big advantage, Joey was surely in for some trouble.
"My Turn! Draw!"
Sure enough, hearing Joey's taunt, Rex's fighting spirit was ignited. He fiercely drew a card from his Deck. "You're only temporarily ahead, Joey! You're getting a bit too full of yourself!"
"I Activate the Spell Card, (Mystical Space Typhoon)! I destroy that (Dark Dragon's Claw) equipped to B. Skull Dragon!" Rex played the card he had just drawn. "If you lose this Equip Spell Card, the advantage will return to me!"
As (Mystical Space Typhoon) was inserted into the Spell & Trap Zone, a tornado erupted on Rex's field, moving directly towards B. Skull Dragon on Joey's field, or rather, towards the (Dark Dragon's Claw) equipped to B. Skull Dragon's claws!
Seeing this, Joey became even more triumphant. "It's useless! I, Joey, already accounted for this! Don't even think about destroying my Equip Card, Rex!"
"I Activate my Set Card, (Dark Bribe)! It can be Activated when your opponent Activates a Spell/Trap Card. Negate that activation and destroy it, then your opponent draws one card from their Deck!"
As (Mystical Space Typhoon) approached, two voices suddenly echoed above Joey and Rex's fields—
"What's the meaning of this?"
"No meaning?"
"If there's no meaning, then don't make one."
"Then wouldn't it be meaningless?"
"If it's meaningless, why are you insisting on a meaning?"
"I'm just giving a token gesture."
Under a shady deal, Rex's activated (Mystical Space Typhoon) was negated before it reached the (Dark Dragon's Claw), due to the 'token gesture' offered. At the same time, Rex also received the 'meaning' of that gesture—he drew one card from his Deck.
Seeing the card he drew, Rex looked at Joey with some surprise. "Joey, that Set Card of yours was certainly unexpected."
Joey completely missed the subtle hint in Rex's tone, thinking he was being praised. He said triumphantly, "How about that? I gave you a surprise, didn't I?"
"A surprise, indeed it is a surprise. But you'd best 'translate, translate, what exactly is 'surprise'?'" Rex said, his expression strange, as he played the card he had just drawn. "I Activate the card I just drew, the Spell Card (Pot of Greed)! I draw two cards from my Deck!"
Thanks to (Pot of Greed)'s Effect, Rex drew two cards from his Deck. When he saw the cards he drew, his eyes lit up.
At the start of the turn, Rex had 0 cards in his hand. Drawing (Mystical Space Typhoon) was lucky, but that was as far as it went. Whether it was destroying Joey's Set Card or the (Dark Dragon's Claw), Rex had no certain path to victory.
However, thanks to Joey's (Dark Bribe), the cards Rex drew with (Pot of Greed) successfully revitalized the situation. He had found a way to defeat Joey!
"Quick-Play Spell Card, (Double Cyclone)! It can only be Activated by targeting one Spell/Trap Card on my field and one Spell/Trap Card on my opponent's field. All those cards are destroyed!"
Rex played the card from his hand, pointing to the (Sakuretsu Armor) he had Set in his Backrow and the (Dark Dragon's Claw) equipped to B. Skull Dragon. Since (Sakuretsu Armor) was sealed and couldn't be activated due to B. Skull Dragon's effect, he might as well let it serve its final purpose!
As Rex targeted the two cards, a double-helix whirlwind appeared on the field, sweeping towards the designated cards. In an instant, both cards were lifted into the air, torn apart, and sent to the Graveyard.
B. Skull Dragon [ATK3200]
"Alright! With that, I've destroyed your (Dark Dragon's Claw)!" Rex said, pumping his fist triumphantly and flashing a confident smile. "In that case, I can now use this card without any burdens!"
"I Activate (Super Conductor Tyranno)'s Effect!"
(end of chapter)
Chapter 384: _Super Conductor Tyranno_, I Really Like You! (With that Shui Ge Look)
"Since that's the case, then I have no reservations about using this card!" Rex said triumphantly, waving his hand. "I activate the effect of _Super Conductor Tyranno_!"
"The effect of _Super Conductor Tyranno_?" Tristan scratched the back of his head from the Audience Seating. "Even with higher ATK than _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_, it still has an effect? Isn't that even stronger than _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_!"
Duke Devlin also chimed in, "After all, in the end, a single _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ is just a very rare card. There are actually many, many monsters stronger than it."
"Speaking of which, why do most people always compare monsters to Seto Kaiba's _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ the moment they see a monster card appear?"
"Who knows."
On the Duel Field, Joey, however, knew from the very beginning that _Super Conductor Tyranno_ had an effect and wasn't too surprised.
Thanks to his poor performance and lack of knowledge during the Battle City, after the Battle City ended and everyone returned to Domino City, Solomon Muto, who had also watched the broadcast of the Battle City Semi-finals, was very dissatisfied that Joey didn't even know card effects and put him through a round of hellish training.
Thanks to this hellish training, Joey's rather lacking knowledge of Duel Monsters saw some compensation, and he learned about some monster effects, including Rex's _Super Conductor Tyranno_.
"If I remember correctly, the effect of _Super Conductor Tyranno_ should be to Tribute one monster on your field, and then inflict 1000 damage to me, right?" Joey said, sounding a bit puzzled. "But don't you only have _Super Conductor Tyranno_ on your field, Rex?"
Upon hearing this, the _Super Conductor Tyranno_ on Rex's field couldn't help but nod, clearly not understanding why Rex had given such an order.
Of course, it didn't notice Joey's thoughtful gaze towards itself, nor the inexplicable pity.
"Heh heh, the effect of _Super Conductor Tyranno_ does indeed require Tributing one monster on my field to activate, just as you said, but I do have a monster on my field."
As Rex spoke, he snapped his fingers. "To use that guy Hayato's words: Sacrifice for the Greater Good, _Super Conductor Tyranno_!"
"_Super Conductor Tyranno_, I really like you! For you, I'm going to Tribute you!"
_Super Conductor Tyranno_ looked utterly bewildered, because it thought it was the only monster Rex could deploy on the field.
Oh no, I've become the cannon fodder!
The distracted _Super Conductor Tyranno_'s body moved on its own. A large amount of lightning on its surface danced with its roar, wrapping it into a ball of electricity. It bypassed the _Black Skull Dragon_ and directly crashed into Joey!
"Ugh!"
[Joey: 4000 LP -> 3000 LP]
"He Tributed his own monster!"
"And so decisively!"
"It's like he feels no remorse!"
"What a strong sense of déjà vu!"
Listening to the unceasing, feigned exclamations of Tristan and Duke Devlin, as if they were performing a comedy skit, Hayato felt his fists clench tightly.
"I feel like you brats are always hinting at something? I'll take you on."
Marik, sitting next to Hayato, was suppressing a laugh, lest he be targeted by Hayato first.
"Tributing his own monster... the sense of déjà vu is really..." Joey rubbed his chest where he'd been zapped, and subconsciously shifted his gaze towards Hayato's location in the Audience Seating.
"Even though you're a Duel King, you provide others with such abnormal dueling demonstrations every day. Hayato, you've done all sorts of evil! You're truly despicable!"
"Although that inflicted 1000 damage to me, Rex, doesn't this leave you without any monsters to defend against my _Black Skull Dragon_?" Joey said as he glanced at the last card in Rex's hand.
"Even if the monster in your hand can be Summoned, it'll only be a Level 4 or lower monster, which can't possibly withstand my _Black Skull Dragon_."
"Even though _Super Conductor Tyranno_'s ATK is higher than my _Black Skull Dragon_ after it lost the _Dark Dragon's Claw_, you Tributed it without hesitation. What exactly are you trying to do, Rex?"
Hearing Joey's question, Rex's face revealed a triumphant smile. "Heh heh, this is a trial, Joey. A trial, from the past."
"A trial?"
"Unlike you, who, as a Top 4 contender in the Battle City and having gained significant recognition in your Duel against Seto Kaiba, are well-known, I was once the runner-up in the Japan National Duel Monsters Championship. But that's all in the past. To gain more attention, I must showcase my strength as much as possible in this Duel!"
"Simply defeating you with _Super Conductor Tyranno_ isn't enough. What I need is a full-power Duel!"
"It's with this one monster, the most powerful one in my Deck!"
Glancing at his Hand, Rex said firmly, "The moment I sent _Super Conductor Tyranno_ to my Graveyard, the conditions necessary for its Summon were met!"
As he spoke, he raised the last card in his Hand high. "For the Summon of this monster, I will Banish these two Dinosaur-Type monsters from my Graveyard: _Swift Velociraptor_ and _Super Conductor Tyranno_!"
A monster Summoned by banishing monsters from the Graveyard as a cost?! Immediately, Joey frantically recalled the Attributes of _Swift Velociraptor_ and _Super Conductor Tyranno_ in his mind.
Fortunately, although _Super Conductor Tyranno_ is a LIGHT Attribute monster, _Swift Velociraptor_ is not DARK Attribute but Earth Attribute. It wasn't the "one soul guiding darkness, one soul guiding light" condition of _Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End_ that Joey had first suspected.
Furthermore, Joey also belatedly remembered that _Chaos Emperor Dragon_ had actually been put on the Forbidden Card list and couldn't be used in official matches at all. Rex wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.
Normally, after confirming that _Chaos Emperor Dragon_, which could cause a Board Wipe, wasn't going to appear next, Joey should have felt relieved. However, he felt increasingly uneasy.
This feeling of unease intensified even further as the souls of _Swift Velociraptor_ and _Super Conductor Tyranno_ dissipated in Rex's Graveyard. Joey, with some inexplicable beast-like intuition, could sense that something was about to come out of that card in Rex's Hand!
"Ultimate overlord from ancient times, supernova of destruction, descend upon the world once more! Use your power that crushes all things to guide fate onto the correct trajectory!" Rex excitedly slammed the card down. "Witness the ultimate dinosaur!"
The very instant Rex slammed the card onto the Duel Disk, a smell of sulfur suddenly permeated his field, as if something had leaked.
(end of chapter)
"——Bang!"
Abruptly, a powerful heartbeat sound echoed. The sheer might behind it was so terrifying that, even though its true form hadn't fully manifested, an overwhelmingly dreadful pressure swept across the entire venue!
"——Bang!"
Joey was startled by the heartbeat as well. As the one facing it directly, he could feel a sense of threat far more clearly than others – a primal, instinctual threat, like being targeted by a top predator on the food chain!
"——Bang!"
After the third heartbeat, an unnerving silence fell, so profound it was as if the preceding heartbeats were merely an auditory hallucination for the more than ten thousand people present. However, this did not mean the prelude to a certain entity's descent had concluded!
Quite the contrary, the shock to hearing and smell was already sufficient; next was the visual spectacle!
Under everyone's gaze, an incredibly magnificent and dazzling light, akin to the moment of a supernova's explosion, bloomed on the Duel Field. One burst followed another, countless flares were hurled into the slightly dim sky, completely tearing through the contrasting dimness to reveal the most direct starlight, as if unfiltered by an ozone layer!
This was not the light of world-ending destruction, but a crimson light capable of creating miracles!
"Appear! My Ace Card!" Rex Raptor shouted excitedly, fully immersed in the Duel. "Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!"
As Rex Raptor called out the name, behind him, a phantom of colossal, exaggerated size slowly revealed itself within the crimson light. Its height of tens of meters almost pierced the roof of the Kaiba Dome, obscuring everyone's vision.
Its thick tail swayed gently, and even such a minute movement stirred up waves on the field. This massive dinosaur, a fusion of black and dark red, looked down upon Joey's Black Skull Dragon on the field. Its purplish-red jewels lit up one by one – what a chilling display of power!
[Ultimate Conductor Tyranno][Level 10/LIGHT Attribute]
[Dinosaur-Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[3500/3200]
Appearing on Rex Raptor's field was none other than the undisputed king of Dinosaur-Type monsters in Hayato's previous life's meta, a symbol of absolute power, the embodiment of pressure, known by the moniker "Fodder Crusher" – the invincible ultimate brother of the Dinosaur-Type, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!
Although it was often sarcastically called "the 'Big Brother who can't last three turns'" because it was frequently negated and destroyed by cards like Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit or Infinite Impermanence, this did not diminish Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's status within the Dinosaur-Type archetype—though, primarily, there weren't many other strong Dinosaur-Type monsters available.
With a simple summoning condition requiring the banishment of two Dinosaur-Type monsters from the Graveyard, not even occupying a Normal Summon, its 3500 ATK, 500 points higher than the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and 3200 DEF, coupled with its group suppression effect, it truly was a formidable card.
From the audience stands, Hayato nodded in approval. "That Rex Raptor fellow actually managed to obtain such a powerful card; it's truly remarkable."
As for how Rex Raptor obtained this card, that was simply not important.
To adapt someone else's words, "You don't need to understand the ins and outs of Duel Monsters."
Joey looked at the colossal Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, swallowing nervously. Recalling his past Duels, he realized he had never encountered a monster of such exaggerated size. Even Obelisk the Tormentor couldn't compare to the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno before him; only Slifer the Sky Dragon, whose length once neared a hundred meters, had the qualification to rival it.
"Moreover, its Attack is 3500 points."
While Joey wasn't without experience facing monsters with higher ATK than 3500, such as Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor with its base 4000 ATK that could even increase to infinity with its ability, and Hayato's Cyber End Dragon, among others.
However, for a non-Fusion Monster, and not a special case like a God Card, to achieve 3500 ATK as a standalone monster, the pressure from Ultimate Conductor Tyranno was immense.
Especially since the Dark Dragon Claws equipped to his Black Skull Dragon on the field had been destroyed, leaving its ATK even lower than Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's.
"It's my Battle Phase. Here I come, Joey!"
Ultimate Conductor Tyranno looked down at Black Skull Dragon and roared, almost making everyone's heartbeats slow down. Dust stirred up from the ground as Rex Raptor pointed his finger at Joey's field:
"Attack Black Skull Dragon, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!"
"Supernova Breath!"
Ultimate Conductor Tyranno stretched its magnificent body, its purplish-red jewels lighting up one by one from its tail outwards. Witnessing the colossal beast concentrating its power in its mouth to unleash it, Joey roared with burning passion, "Although the outcome is certain, we can't lose to you in terms of spirit!"
"Counterattack, Black Skull Dragon!"
Following Joey's command, Black Skull Dragon and Ultimate Conductor Tyranno simultaneously attacked each other. The light erupting from Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's mouth intensified for a moment, its high-heat energy cannon piercing through Black Skull Dragon's body, while Black Skull Dragon's final blow landed hard on Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's face, staggering it.
[Joey: 3000→2700 LP]
Joey covered his face with one hand, shielding himself from the intense light as Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's attack struck. As the light slightly receded, he opened his eyes and looked at Rex Raptor opposite him.
Black Skull Dragon had undoubtedly been destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and its final blow had made Ultimate Conductor Tyranno step back, but only just a single step.
"So... so strong."
Rex Raptor, relieved that the attack had gone through, heard whispers from the audience stands.
"Are there really such powerful beings among Dinosaur-Type monsters?"
"The situation at the start of the turn was so difficult, yet he managed to turn it around this much. That Rex Raptor is truly amazing."
"I heard he was actually the runner-up in the Duel Monsters National Championship in Japan, even almost becoming the champion."
"I see, no wonder he's got skill. He even suppressed Joey Wheeler, a Top 4 Duelist of Battle City."
Hearing the audience's assessment of him, Rex Raptor couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
After all, Rex Raptor, who had a clear understanding of his own skill from the start, didn't come to the KC Cup aiming for the top three prize money. He had no confidence in being able to defeat Hayato, Yugi, or Seto Kaiba.
His goal was simply as Joey had said: to gain fame and enter the professional Duelist circle.
'As expected, deliberately Tributing Super Conductor Tyranno to Summon Ultimate Conductor Tyranno was the correct choice.'
Listening to the cheers of many in the audience stands who had become his fans – "Rex Raptor!", "Rex Raptor!", "Rex Raptor!" – Rex Raptor somewhat understood the audience's mindset.
To reach the optimal Duel logic for victory, and victory itself, which is more important?
Is it Duel logic?
No.
Is it victory?
Not that either.
The most important aspects are the back-and-forth, intense exchanges between both Duelists during the Duel, and the appearance of powerful, magnificent, cool, and imposing monsters.
Casual observers with only a partial understanding of Duel Monsters can't comprehend the logic of Duel Monster duels at all. For them, as long as the Duel is interesting enough, it's sufficient to draw their favor towards the Duelist. And a fan base, to some extent, is more important for a professional Duelist than a perfect win rate.
While using invincible Library Exodia or a Trap-heavy Strategy deck can effectively increase win rates, the audience will absolutely not be interested in such dull Duels. Besides, how would investors sell tickets and recoup their investment?
As for how to gain fans when the Duel is interesting but results in a loss? Fans will naturally find ways to spin it positively. Just like Water Moon's videos don't win every time, but they attract a large following due to being quite entertaining.
This is also why Rex Raptor, despite being able to directly destroy Joey's Black Skull Dragon with Super Conductor Tyranno, insisted on replacing it with the stronger Ultimate Conductor Tyranno.
"My turn ends." Feeling the audience's enthusiasm, Rex Raptor was in a good mood and gave Joey a grin full of fighting spirit in return. "You must have more strength, Joey. So, use your full power to defeat me, Rex Raptor!"
[Rex Raptor: 1100 LP, 0 Hand]
[Ultimate Conductor Tyranno][ATK 3500]
Joey naturally heard people around him shouting Rex Raptor's name. If it were someone with weaker mental fortitude, hearing the audience start supporting the opponent while in a disadvantageous position might cause them to become dejected and lose their fighting spirit.
But Joey wasn't that fragile. The Ultimate Conductor Tyranno summoned by Rex Raptor had ignited not only the audience's passion but also Joey's fighting spirit. "I would definitely do that even if you hadn't said it."
"Although you're strong, Rex Raptor, my goal is to be in the top three of the KC Cup and get revenge on Kaiba! So I will definitely win!" With that, Joey excitedly drew a card from his Deck. "My turn, Draw!"
"I activate Cards of the Red Stone from my hand, sending Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand and one Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard, and drawing two cards from my Deck!"
Joey sent the Red-Eyes Black Dragon from his hand, which was recovered by Mass Production of Darkness last turn, and another Red-Eyes Black Dragon that returned to the Deck due to Black Skull Dragon's effect, into the Graveyard. He replenished two cards in his hand from his Deck. With the card drawn during this turn's Draw Phase, he now had three cards in his hand.
"I activate this card, the Spell Card, Painful Decision." After glancing at the card in his hand and pondering briefly, Joey placed a card into his Duel Disk's Spell & Trap Zone. "Draw two cards from my Deck, and my opponent will choose one of them."
As he spoke, Joey drew two cards from his Deck, and two cards with only their backs showing appeared on his field. "If you, Rex Raptor, select a Monster Card, then I can Special Summon that chosen monster onto the field, ignoring its Summoning Conditions, and add the other card to my hand. If it's not a Monster Card, then both cards will be sent to the Graveyard."
Hearing this, Rex Raptor sneered, "Joey, has your luck-based card play finally evolved from testing your own luck to testing other people's luck?"
"Hey, don't talk as if I particularly like using gambling decks!" Joey retorted immediately. "It's not like everyone thinks gambling cards are weak, which is why they're so cheap, which is why I use them. Do you think my old gambling decks were stronger than my current Red-Eyes deck?"
When Joey asked this, Rex Raptor was genuinely taken aback. Recalling Joey's unreasonable luck, where even gambling cards with equal risk and reward always favored the reward side, he nodded affirmatively, "Of course, that's true!"
"If you had used a pure gambling deck, you would have defeated Seto Kaiba long ago!"
"So annoying, I don't want to use a gambling deck!" Joey got angry. "It's a joke, I saved up my allowance and various prize money, and with two other Red-Eyes given by Kaiba, I finally put together this Red-Eyes deck. You want to persuade me to go back to gambling decks?"
"Not a chance!"
"Hurry up and choose which card!" Joey didn't want to continue this unpleasant and disheartening topic. Rex Raptor scratched his head with some distress, "Damn it, it's inexplicably difficult to choose, even though it's already a choice between two."
Rex Raptor, who never had high expectations for his luck, hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and closed his eyes: "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!"
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, okay, this one it is!" Rex Raptor suddenly opened his eyes, his finger landing on the card to his right. "I choose this one!"
As Rex Raptor made his choice, the two cards Joey had drawn due to Painful Decision were flipped over, revealing their true faces.
The card on Rex Raptor's left was Polymerization, and the card he chose on his right was none other than the last Red-Eyes Black Dragon in Joey's Deck!
"Yosh! Thanks, Rex Raptor, for giving me another Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey ignored Rex Raptor's displeased expression, added Polymerization to his hand, and waved his free hand, "Soar, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
(end of chapter)